NHL Hockey News – August 5, 2009

VETERAN ROENICK SET TO ANNOUNCE HIS RETIREMENTHeatley needs this to wrap up soon, too

Allen Panzeri, The Ottawa Citizen

Dany Heatley remained an Ottawa Senator on Tuesday when another day passed without a resolution to his trade demand.

However, he’ll be crossing his fingers that Senators general manager Bryan Murray can arrange a deal by Aug. 24. That’s the day the Canadian Olympic hockey team’s three-day orientation camp opens in Calgary.

If Heatley’s fate hasn’t been decided by then, the focus of the camp will invariably be on the disgruntled Senator, which won’t please him or the canadian team’s staff. Hockey Canada is not fond of circuses.

It’s probably not going to help Heatley that one of the team’s associate directors is Kevin Lowe, the Edmonton Oilers’ president of hockey operations. Heatley, of course, wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to go to Edmonton.

The Canadian team is also going to be anxious to hear Heatley’s plans for the 2009-10 season. If the current situation drags on too long, it could affect the way he starts the season. And what kind of a first half of the season would he have if he were forced to return to Ottawa and play in what would certainly be an acrimonious environment?

Brendan Shanahan had such a good time in his 3 1/2 months with the Devils last season that he’s coming back for more.

The 40-year-old left wing agreed to terms Tuesday and will be in training camp, an NHL source said. The official announcement on the one-year deal could come later today.

Shanahan, an unrestricted free agent, sat out the first three months of the 2008-09 season before signing with the Devils on Jan. 15. He put up six goals and eight assists in 34 regular-season games, and added one goal and two assists in seven playoff contests playing on the Devils’ checking line.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said last week that “there will be something” with Shanahan by the end of the week. Lamoriello wanted to be certain that Shanahan was comfortable returning to the Devils under new head coach Jacques Lemaire when other teams also expressed interest in signing him.

“He has some opportunities and I just want him to make sure that this is where he wants to be with the role he plays and all of that, so that you never look back,” Lamoriello said.

The San Jose Sharks have scheduled a news conference for Thursday, when it is expected that veteran centre Jeremy Roenick will announce his retirement.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the Sharks’ television broadcaster, cited multiple league sources saying Roenick will call it a career after 20 years in the NHL.

Among all players in NHL history, Roenick ranks 36th on the all-time goals list (513), 48th on the all-time assist list (703) and for tied 39th on the all-time points list (1,216).

A two-time 50-goal scorer, Roenick became just the third American-born player to reach 500 career goals in 2007. He was selected to play in the All-Star Game nine times and twice represented the United States in the Olympics.http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=286735